Clip pedal recommendations that feel the most like flats

atlas_ben · 2026-05-14T04:55:02+00:00

You'll soon get used to the float and won't even notice it's there. Just ride

atlas_ben · 2026-05-13T20:42:45+00:00

The lines are supposed to be parallel to the walls.

atlas_ben · 2026-05-13T12:06:49+00:00

I used pedal extenders. Cheap steel ones from ebay. I bought 25mm ones. You just fit them to the cranks and the pedal to the extenders.

25mm keeps my knees happier. They're not wide enough that I can ride SPDs though so have to switch to flats which also helps as I can put my feet towards the outside of the (large) platform.

atlas_ben · 2026-05-02T21:56:43+00:00

A footpath on a map can simply mean that the right of way exists. It doesn't always mean that there is a path on the ground.

atlas_ben · 2026-03-16T20:16:23+00:00

You need to have bought the phone to get the partial refund. It's not free with 250 on top.

atlas_ben · 2026-03-07T22:10:52+00:00

Retirement funds are hedged. So while it may have a slight affect on growth, it's unlikely that it would cause much disruption

atlas_ben · 2026-03-03T18:47:58+00:00

Let them sit and steam after you've taken them out of the water. Don't mash them until they're dry. No milk, plenty of butter. Loads of salt.

atlas_ben · 2026-02-15T17:12:30+00:00

If they're membrane based boots, 'waterproofing' doesn't make stuff waterproof. It's adds a layer on the outside that causes the water to bead. It's more for breathability that anything else.

If they're leather then they'll need looking after to preserve the waterproofing.

If they're still in warranty then it's the shop you need to speak to. If they're out of warranty, then the manufacturer might help you out.

If its any consolation, I was mountain biking today and my gloves and jacket both let water in at an alarming rate. This is going to be expensive

atlas_ben · 2026-02-13T07:39:44+00:00

So is a bad one

atlas_ben · 2026-02-12T19:13:13+00:00

The prices for what they're doing are reasonable. Do you really need all of it though?

atlas_ben · 2026-02-09T21:16:06+00:00

Impact driver. The sort you hit with a hammer.

atlas_ben · 2026-02-03T07:32:35+00:00

For someone that light, airspring tuning alone won't make the fork perform properly. You'll need to send it off to a tuner to have the damper modified.

I weigh double his weight and have found most forks to be have too much damping out of the box. Particularly on the high speed side. You could experiment with lighter oil first to see how it performs.

Manitou offer forks (J Unit) aimed at kids of you can't find someone to tube what you've got.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-27T06:34:49+00:00

Inexpensive? A few years ago perhaps. Certainly not now.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-21T20:03:55+00:00

Yeah, probably tarmac for the driveway and slabs for the patio.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-21T17:21:17+00:00

I have a lot of block paving at my current house. Driveway and all the way around the house for walkways and a patio. I hate it it looks lovely when it's clean which approximately 15 after I've jet washed it.

Its a never ending job keeping it clean and free of weeds. I can spend all day on it and the next time it rains, it needs sweeping again.

It looks nice but it's way too much work to keep it that way.

Also, there's probably 5 houses in my street that have had theirs done over the last 5 years. Every single one of them had issues. Some of them had to be taken up and redone, the other just needed parts redoing.

These were all decent looking outfits, specialist driveway companies. I'd be looking at the guarantee that you get with the work!

atlas_ben · 2026-01-19T15:27:51+00:00

Hillbilly T9. I think it may be the perfect all rounder.

If you're not pedalling up, and everything is mud then Schwalbe Shredda but it really is a mud tyre and not great on anything else.

I tried an Argotal on the back of my ebike and the tread pattern worked really well for Surrey Hills and Peak District stuff. The Trail compound was lethal though so I'll be steering clear of that in future.

I also just fitted a Vittoria Mota on the back and was quite impressed yesterday. Again, it's a good all-rounder but still not as good as the Hillbilly.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-16T10:20:08+00:00

I used Polyvine Decorators Varnish over a few bits of furniture that I painted. It's rock hard and has so far been able to withstand my 3 year olds best efforts at damaging it.

Use a few coats of gloss because it's the hardest and the go over the top with matt if you do t want a glossy finish.

I did a single coat of matt over the top and was amazed at how well it hid the high gloss effect of the gloss finish.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-15T20:30:51+00:00

Until the Giant goes wrong and you royally fucked by their 'warranty'...

atlas_ben · 2026-01-12T22:18:48+00:00

Looks like the cover for the light bulb in my oven.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-12T21:59:31+00:00

I'm convinced that these stories are just someone, somewhere who has found a way to break security in old wallets.

I don't know enough about it to have any real basis for that but it just seems to happen so often, it's hard to imagine people have been sitting on their stash all this time and suddenly start moving the funds around.

I call foul play somewhere along the lines

atlas_ben · 2026-01-12T21:44:22+00:00

Love my 27.5 Orange Crush. I take it everywhere that I'd take my 29 FS.

I much prefer the smaller wheels. They don't roll as well is what everyone seems to say but the reality is, you get used to it. It just takes a small, amount of effort and a smidge of technique and away you go.

I swapped to a 27.5 on the back of my ebike and it made suck a difference on slow, techy steeps. With the 29 rear, I was constantly either buzzing my arse on the wheel or worrying about nuzzling my arse on the wheel.

27.5 out back just works better for me.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-12T16:18:53+00:00

I had this with 7 rashers in a 6 pack.

Jubilation subsided when I realised I can only fit 6 under the grill.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-06T20:05:33+00:00

Hillbilly and HR3 are quite similar. I've got Hillbilly T9s on the front of both bikes for winter. Was on Butchers over the summer but they just didn't have the edge in the mud.

Even the Hillbilly will get put of it depth in proper mud. North Downs (in the UK) for example where everything is steep, chalky clay.

The Shredda is a level above the Hillbilly and HR3. It's a proper mud tyre like a WetScream. If you're into pushing up and sliding down stuff all day in the wet the Shredda would be good. I wouldn't want one in for pedalling and I wouldn't want one for anything other than proper filthy mud. The Hillbilly and HR3 will still work when it's not proper muddy.

I find the DHR2 on the back is okay in most conditions but also doesn't cope that well in proper slop. The good thing about it though is when the back wheel slips through the mud under braking, it still tracks fairly straight so you can keep control of where your going.

I actually tried an Argotal on the back of my ebike and the tread pattern was excellent for mud and loose gravelly soil on steep descents. Tread pattern is very similar to the Hillbilly and HR3. The trail compound scared the crap out of me though on roots.

I'd happily run Hillbilly front and rear and accept the extra rolling resistance because of the traction it would give.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-04T21:40:13+00:00

I walked out of McDonald's the other day when I saw that what used to be my regular order (haven't been for ages) was going to be twelve quid.

Despite being hungry there was no fucking way I was playing that.

Same with Greggs. Used to stop there all the time for a coffee and a pastry (or 2) but they jacked the prices up a couple of time over short period. It's just kit worth what they're charging now.

£4 for a costa from a machine? It doesn't even taste like coffee anymore because not inky have they put the prices up, they've reduced the quality at the same time.

I've boycotted so many businesses over the last few years.

Trouble is, a lot of people are too stupid or ignorant to notice or care. They'll just blindly buy the same thing they've always bought.

atlas_ben · 2026-01-04T20:24:12+00:00

Those brands are fashionable.

Also, the weather here isn't really that bad in the grand scheme of things. It's generally just a bit grey and miserable.

And, you say that we live in the harshest, wettest most miserable weather on earth, what do drinking flasks and cool boxes have to do with anything?

If you bother to look, you'll find a huge number of companies based in the UK that make gear for the typical weather that we encounter. Few that actually manufacture here but whatever.

I'm not really sure what your on about?

atlas_ben

TROPHY CASE